Excavator and levee-builder.



M. G. BUNNELL.

EXGAVATOR AND LEVEE BUILDER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

M/fT/VESSES m s, W H NH 7 N E m R Mm y ,w m m COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COWASHINGTON. D4 c.

M. G. BUNNELL. EXGAVATOR AND LEVER BUILDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

Patented June 10, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2. V

W/T/VESSZS flTTOR/VE Vs M. G. BUNNELL.

EXOAVATOR AND LEVEE BUILDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

1,064,285; Patented June 10,1913.

COLUMBIA PLANQGRAPH co., wAsHlNGToN. u. c.

M. G. BUNNELL. EXGAVATOR AND LEVEE BUILDER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

1,064,285. Patented June 10,1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

COLUMF A PLANOGRAPH COUWASHINGTON. D. c.

MLG. BUNNELL.

BXGAVATOB. AND LEVEE BUILDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

1,064,285, Patented June 10, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

HTT E/VAVS,

onrrnn STATES PATENT orrron MORTON G. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK O. AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXCAVATOR AND LEVEE-BUILDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10,1913.

Application filed March 22, 1909. Serial No. 485,066.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Monrox (-r. BUN'NELL, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and resii'lent of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and-useful Improvement in Excavators and Levee-Builders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of excavators in which a bucket isarranged to travel back and forth on a runway. EX- cavators of thischaracter are employed for building levees, and for making ditches fordrainage or other purposes. Ordinarily, the bucket travels back andforth across the ditch, loading in one direction, and returning in theopposite direction for a fresh start. It is common for the bucket todischarge its load at the end of either direction of movement. As shown,however, the bucket loads by movement in one direction, and then travelsback across the machine to discharge its load at the other side thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide an excavator of this characterin which the reverse movement of the bucket, after it reaches thedumping position, serves to forcibly discharge the load therefrom. Theadvantages of my invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings--Figure 1 is a side elevation of anexcavator embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged side elevation of my improved bucket, showing the same incarrying position. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a portion of thebucket, illustrating the manner in which the same lifted slightly whenit returns to the ditch or eX- cavat-ionthat is to say, when it travelsback from the place where it discharged its load. Fig. at is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, but showing the back of the bucket moved forward todischarge the load therefrom, which operates across as soon as the.motion of the bucket is reversed after it reaches the position fordumping. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the runway that hangs in theditch or excavation, and the adjacent portion of the body of themachine, illustrating the mode of operation of the bucket. Fig. 6 is anend view of the bucket, on a larger scale, showing the runway in crosssection.

As thus illustrated, the excavator comprises a body A adapted to travelat one side of the ditch or excavation. A runway B is pivoted at theside of the body and adapted to hang in the ditch or excavation. Forconvenience of illustration, the said runway is shown broken away inFig. 1, but its form and mode of operation will be readily understoodfrom Fig. 5. The runway G is arranged at the other side of the machine,and is connected with the runway B by means of a track D on the body. Anengine and boiler E, for operating the drums F and G, are mounted on thebody.

The bucket or scoop H is rectangular in form, and has rolls or wheels hadapted to travel in the channels of the runways, and in the track D,during the operation of excavating. This bucket or scoop is providedwith four levers or arms h, which are pivoted at 7112, and which carrythe said rolls or wheels h at their upper ends. At their lower endsthese levers or arms are connected by the bars if, one at each side ofthe bucket. The connection between the said levers h and the bars it isof a pivoted nature, each lever being pivoted at its lower end to one ofthe said bars. The cable or chain I is secured by the links 5 to thefrontend of the bars it and is arranged to travel over the sheave i onthe runway C, and is operated by the drum F on the body of theexcavator. Another cable or chain J is secured by the links j to therear end of the bars 7?, and is operated by another drum Gr on the body.It will be understood that this cable or chain J is arranged to travelaround a sheave at the end of the runway B, and that this is the cableor cha in by which the bucket is returned to the ditch after me load isdumped at the out-er end of the runway G. The cable or chain I is theone by which the bucket is pulled forward across the ditch causing it toload, and then across the machine and to the outer end of the runway Cwhere the load is dumped.

The dumping is accomplished automatically, in the following manner: Therun.- way C is provided with a hook K pivoted thereto at it and heldnormally in position by engagement of its shorter end with the stop 70on the runway, (see Fig. 41). In Fig. Qthc bucket is shown in carryingposition, and is approaching the said hook. The back it" of the bucketor scoop H is movable relative thereto. Said: back is rigid with the twoangle irons [L5 which slide in guides it carried by the bucket. When thepull is on the cable or chain 1, the back a is at the rear end of thebucket, and the latter fillsor loads with the soil in ditch. For thispurpose the bucket is provided with a lip or cutting edge 71 at theforward lower edge thereof. At its rear end, the bar formed by the angleirons h is provided with a block 7L8 adapted to engage the hook K, asshown in Fig. 4:. This happens when the bucket travels to the outer endof the runway C and passes the said book, as shown in Fig. 1. Then themotion of the bucket is reversed and the block strikes the hook, asshown in Fig. 4, and a continued pull on the cable or chain J causes thebucket to move backward while its back h stands still. This, of course,expels the load, and causes the bucket to discharge its contents. Inorder that the bucket may pass the hook and return to'the ditch, it isprovided with. a cam 7&9 adapted to engage a cam or bevel 72. on theunder side of the hook, as shown in Fig. 4. Thus when the load isentirely expelled from the bucketthe block it is disengaged from thehook, and the bucket returns to the ditch. Then when the pull is resumedon the cable or chain I the bucket moves forward and the back li standsstill until it returns to the rear end of the bucket. The operation offilling the bucket then proceeds as before, and the operation of dumpinfirst described, is repeatedwhen the bucket reaches the runway C andstarts back to the ditch. It will be seen, therefore, that it is theinitial return motion of the bucket to the ditch or excavation thateffects the automatic dumping of the load. The load is forcibly ejectedfrom the bucket or scoop, by the said return motion. The bucket is inreality pulled off from the load. In this way the load is effectivelydumped, regardless of the character of soil in which the ex cavation isbeing carried on. It will be seen that when the pull is on the cable orchain J the leverage exerted by the levers it tends to lift the bucketor scoop, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus the bucket or scoop is held clear ofthe ground when it returns to the ditch. When the pull is reversed onthe cable or chain I, then the bucket or scoop settles down intovposition to receive a load, as shown in Figs. 2 and t. In this way ithas a slight or sufficient rise and fall,traveling one way on theground, and traveling the other way clear of the ground.

By referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the runway B hangs in theditch or excavation, and is preferably the Same in form or shape as thecross sectional contour of the ditch when completed. Vhen the buckettravels backward on the runway-that is, toward the outer end of thelatterit does so in a slightly elevated position, as previouslyexplained, and. then moves downward slightly as soon as it starts tomove forward to gather a load. For this reason it can be moved a shortdistance into the cut or excavation, and its motion can then bereversed, thus gathering up a load without traversing more thana smallportion of the bottom or side of the ditch. This is inclicated in Fig.5, wherein it will be seen that the previous operation of the bucketmade the depression X in the side of the ditch. The next time the bucketwill be moved a little farther along, so as to keep the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 5, and then when its motion is reversed, it willdig into the ground and gather up a load, in a manner to extend thedepression X farther down the slope of the ditch. This operation can berepeated until the bucket has worked entirely across the ditch and untilit has taken the last load from the op positc side thereof. Then therunway can be lowered slightly, and the operation re peated untilanother lift or layer of dirt has been taken off entirely across theditch. In this way it is unnecessary for the bucket to travel backwardentirely across the ditch, and to then travel forward across the same,scraping over the entire interior surface of the ditch w'hile gatheringup its load. AS explained, the first load, after the runway has beenproperly set or adjusted, can be taken from the near side of the ditch,the next load can be taken from a little farther on, and so on until bya series of scooping operations the dirt has been taken off clear acrossthe ditch. I find that by this method the operation of excavating bymeans of a machine of this character is facilitated and rendered moresatisfactory. The runway B the load from the bucket by the backwardmotion thereof, and means on the bucket for releasing said mechanism.

3. In an excavator, a bucket or scoop, a runway therefor, an ejectortherefor, means including clutch mechanism on the runway for operatingsaid ejector by the backward motion of the bucket, and means on thebucket for releasing said mechanism.

4. In an excavator, a bucket or scoop, a movable back therefor, astationary hook for causing the back to stand still while the bucketmoves backward, and means on the bucket for automatically releasing thesaid hook when the load is entirely discharged.

5. In an excavator, a runway provided with a hook, a bucket or scoopadapted to travel on said runway, a movable back for said bucket orscoop, means on the back adapted to be caught and held by the said hook,and means on the bucket for en aging said hook to release the same fromthe back.

6. In an excavator, a bucket or scoop, levers or arms pivoted on thesides thereof, wheels on the upper ends of said levers, means forconnecting together the lower ends of said levers, a runway for saidwheels, and devices for pulling in opposite directions on the lower endsof said levers, whereby the bucket is lifted clear of the ground when ittravels backward.

7. The combination, in an excavator of the character disclosed, of abucket or scoop, a movable back therefor, means including clutchmechanism on the runway for operating said back to expel the load fromthe bucket by the backward motion thereof, means for moving the runwayfor holding the said bucket or scoop down in the ditch or excavation,and means on the bucket for automatically releasing said mechanism.

8. The combination, in an excavator of the character disclosed, of abucket or scoop, a runway therefor, an ejector therefor, means includingclutch mechanism on the runway for operating said ejector by thebackward motion of the bucket, means for moving the runway for holdingthe said bucket or scoop down in the ditch or excavation, and means onthe bucket for automatically releasing said mechanism.

9. The combination, in an excavator of the character disclosed, of abucket or scoop, a movable back therefor, a stationary hook for causingthe back to stand still while the bucket moves backward, means forautomatically releasing the said hook when the load is entirelydischarged, and a runway for holding the said bucket or scoop down inthe ditch or excavation.

10. The combination, in an excavator of the character disclosed, of abucket or scoop, means serving automatically to forcibly lift the samebodily when it travels backward, a runway for holding the said bucket orscoop down in the ditch or excavation, and a draft connection foroperating said means and drawing the bucket backward, said meanscomprising wheels that travel back and forth on said runway.

11. The combination, in an excavator of the character disclosed, of atraveling bucket or scoop, levers and rolls thereon servingautomatically to lift the bucket clear of the ground when it travelsbackward, and a runway for holding the said bucket or scoop down in theditch or excavation, when it travels forward.

12. The improved excavator, comprising a runway and bucket thereon, anend wall for the bucket, a hook pivoted on the runway for holding thesaid wall stationary, to dump the load, and means on the bucket forreleasing said hook, substantially as shown and described.

13. An excavating machine comprising a runway, a bucket, wheels thatsupport the bucket, and travel on the runway, a pivoted lever for eachwheel, a connection between said levers, and means attached to saidconnection to operate the bucket back and forth on said runway.

let. An excavating machine comprising a runway, a bucket, wheels thatsupport the bucket and travel on the runway, a pivoted lever for eachwheel, a connection between saidlevers, and means attached to saidconnection to operate the bucket back and forth on said runway, saidlevers being pivoted on the sides of the said bucket, and saidconnection embracing the bucket.

15. An excavator comprising a runway, a bucket mounted to travel backand forth on said runway, said bucket having a movable wall forexpelling the load, a catch on the runway for holding said wallstationary while the bucket moves a distance in the reverse direction,after reaching dumping position, means on the bucket for automaticallydisengaging said catch from said wall, and means for operating saidbucket, said catch comprising a pivoted hook and a cam on said hookadapted to engage said means on the bucket.

16. An excavator comprising a runway, a bucket mounted to travel backand forth on said runway, said bucket having a movable wall forexpelling the load, a catch on the runway for holding said wallstationary while the bucket moves a distance in the reverse direction,after reaching dumping position, means on the bucket for automaticallydisengaging said catch from said wall, means for operating said bucket,said catch comprising a hook pivoted on the runway, and means forlimiting the downward movement of said hook.

17. An excavator comprising a runway, a

while the bucket moves a distance in the ie bucket mounted to travelback and forth on and means for operating said bucket, the said runway,said bucket having a movable said. bucket having tracks for said WELH.Wailfez-expelling the load, a catch on the Signed by me at Chicago,Illinois, this runway for holding said wall stationary 12th day ofMarch, 1909.

MORTON Gr. BUNNELL.

verse direction, after reaching dumping po- Vitnesses: sitlon, means onthe bucket for automatl- CLARENCE E. TAYLOR, cally disengaging saidcatch from sald Wail, J. NORBY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1]. G.

